Sinful tastes, healthy eating
Good-for-you food doesn't have to taste like cardboard
By Stephanie Snipes
CNN
(CNN) -- With the low-carb craze mercifully nearing its end and balanced eating returning to the spotlight, home cooks everywhere can take joy in a slew of new cookbooks that prove delectably sinful eating can be healthy, too.
Good-for-you summer grub does not mean rice cakes and celery stalks. Chefs Giada De Laurentiis, Tyler Florence and Donna Hay offer a wide variety of flavorful bites that fulfill every craving.
From the best of Old World Italian to juices packed with the freshest flavors, there's a whole world of good food waiting.
"Everyday Italian" by Giada De Laurentiis (Clarkson Potter)
For those preparing to squeeze into their barely there summer wear, Italian food might seem like an instant no-no, but Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef and caterer to the stars Giada De Laurentiis says pasta is not the problem -- portions are.
"We feel that pasta makes people fat. ... That's so not true," says De Laurentiis. "It's not the pasta, it's not carbs really, it's the amount. The portion control."
In her debut cookbook, "Everyday Italian" -- based on her Food Network show of the same name -- the rising kitchen star welcomes cooks into her private life by offering up her family's age-old recipes.
The Rome-born, Los Angeles-raised De Laurentiis, granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis ("Serpico," "Hannibal"), said at first her family was hesitant about her willingness to share family secrets, but that soon changed.
"When we first started talking about this they were like, 'What the hell do you think you're doing?' " says De Laurentiis. "I mean, my grandfather has been making movies for 60 years and we are very private people. So he was really worried -- not only about the recipes, but the stories. He didn't want people to know his private stories. He didn't want people to know the dishes he loved. ... So, the first few seasons I was very careful about what I said. Now I talk about everything."
Recipes in "Everyday Italian" include: white bean dip with pita chips and chicken saltimbocca.
"Eat this Book: Cooking with Global Fresh Flavors" by Tyler Florence (Clarkson Potter)
Food Network personality Tyler Florence, who made a name for himself on shows like "Food 911" and "Tyler's Ultimate," describes his latest effort as "armchair travel for your palate."
"It's a departure. It's a moving on. It's more of a well-seasoned, well-traveled point of view ... it's all about doing really great dishes that are very simple to put together, [that] have subtle nuances of global flavors," says Florence.
Florence, who to the dismay of many helpless home cooks ended his run on "Food 911" -- a show in which the chef traveled to the home kitchens of loyal viewers -- has a new show, "Ty Food," debuting in the fall. He is also working on a cartoon called "Space Chef," launching a product line and working on a restaurant.
"Ty Food" will feature Florence in his home, instead of his fans', cooking a variety treats.
For now, Florence hopes people will embrace "Eat This Book," a book that belongs next to the stove "dogeared and dripped on," Florence says.
"I really want people to walk away from the book with the idea that they can become kind of an intuitive cook," says Florence. "Instead of relying on the mathematics of, you know, 2/3 of a cup of this and a cup of this, to really be able to feel the recipe."
Recipes in "Eat This Book" include grilled steak salad with peaches and lime dressing and summer bean salad with creamy lemon dressing.
"The Instant Cook" by Donna Hay (Fourth Estate)
Australian cooking favorite Donna Hay's latest book, "The Instant Cook," is an oversized tribute to simple eating with beautifully photographed glossy prints of dishes such as Tomato and Eggplant Tarts and Chocolate French Toast.
Hay is a regular contributor to numerous newspapers, and also has her own bi-monthly food magazine, Donna Hay Magazine, which features recipes, menu ideas and a shopping section full of Hay's signature line of kitchen must-haves.
Recipes from "The Instant Cook" include marmalade glazed pork steaks and Eat Your Greens stir fry.
Juice! by Pippa Cuthbert and Lindsay Cameron Wilson (Good Books)
Authors Pippa Cuthbert and Lindsay Cameron Wilson share more than 110 recipes for juice in their new book, "Juice!"
From concoctions that will get you going in the morning to "Evening Relaxers" that will help you wind down at night, "Juice!" uses a number of common fruits and vegetables -- and a number you've probably never heard of.
Along with recipes the book offers a fruit and vegetable chart complete with seasonality, storage tips, preparation, benefits and approximate juice yield of everything from apples to watermelon.
Recipes from "Juice!" include Liquid Thai and Pink Lady.
